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((Host: Emily Frances, How to Mom TV)) Hello everyone this is Emily Frances. Welcome
to How to Mom TV. Many of you know Boris Kodjoe for his good looks and his acting skills.
Named one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” and recognized for his
role on the hit show “Soul Food,” Boris is currently starring in BET’s Reality Show
spoof “Real Husbands of Hollywood.” But offscreen,the German native is a devoted
family man. He married his Soul Food costar Nicole Ari Parker and they have 2 children,
Sophie and NIcholas. However their daughter Sophie was born with Spina Bifida, a debilitating
neural tube birth defect that lands 80% of children in a wheelchair. Sophie is one of
the lucky ones, she has leg function but is unable to manager her bladder and bowels.
((Boris Kodjoe, Daughter has Spina Bifida) It was and overwhelming shock that you think
you can never deal with. For her to have this birth defect took us by surprise and caused
us tremendous pain, anger, and so many emotions that we didnt know how to deal with at first.
Sophie was a big part of us coming to terms with that because her disposition was all
sunny and positive and laughing. She doesnt know the difference and for her it was quite
acceptable, so who are we to cry all day when this baby is happiest creature on the planet?
That changed gears for us. We have to be proactive. We have to figure out highest quality of life
for her. We have to investigate cures, remedies and nutrition.
((Host: Emily Frances, How to Mom TV)) So Boris and Nicole made it their life mission
to be open minded and get a 360 degree perspective from doctors and practicioners of all different
philosophies. And through nutrition and homeopathic remedies, Sophies condition has improved significantly.
Now Boris and Nicole are taking what they’ve learned and paying it forward by raising awareness
with their charity “Sophie’s Voice Foundation.”
((Boris Kodjoe, Daughter has Spina Bifida) Its a birth defect that takes a special position
amongst birth defects because it is 75% preventable. 60 million women are at risk of having a child
w Spina Bifida. You need to know the importance of Folic Acid. You have to take 4 MCG’s
a day and alot of the Prenatal vitamins have folic acid included but are often not enough,
depending on your rate of absorption. Nicole was on Prenatal vitamins but she fell in that
small percentage of women whose absorption rate was so low that she didnt get the full
benefit of folic acid. The other aspect of Sophie’s Voice Foundation is we founded
the Center for Spina Bifida Research and Prevention in Atlanta GA in partnership with Emory University.
Its’ run by Executive Director Godfried Oakley who is considered the “Godfather
of Folic Acid.” With him we’re fighting for worldwide fortification. What that means
is to add Folic Acid to flour so it comes in pasta and bread, so all over world so people
eat food that already has folic acid in it. It’s not a question of cost because its
very cheap. Its a question of political will, so we’re talking to governments across the
world to convince them to fortify foods with folic acid.
((Host: Emily Frances, How to Mom TV)) Another goal of this amazing couple is to
improve quality of life for families affected by Spina Bifida by getting donations of braces,
wheelchairs, diapers and Catheters. Please go to our website for more on my interview
with Boris Kodjoe and more information about Folic Acid. And dont forget to follow HowtoMomTV
on all of our social media channels. Thanks so much for watching and have a great day.